Recent Advances in SnO2 Based Photo Anode Materials for Third Generation Photovoltaics (original) (raw)
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Recent Advances in SnO2 Based Photo Anode Materials for Third Generation Photovoltaics
Materials Science Forum, 2013
Dye Sensitized Solar Cell (DSSC) based on metal oxide photo anode is of greater interest at the present scenario. The light harvesting capability of the photo anode is the most crucial factor in determining the efficiency of DSSC. Thus to decide on suitable photo anode to attain greater efficiency is critical confront. The wide band gap (3.6eV) and higher electron mobility (µe ~ 250 cm 2 V -1 S -1 ) of SnO 2 put together a promising material when compared to other photo electrode materials . Besides, its low sensitivity towards UV makes them more stable for a long time. This review will focus on recent progress in development of SnO 2 and hybrid SnO 2 based photo anode material and its allied key issues based on articles published in the last five years. A short introduction about the current energy scenario, DSSC principle and working will be presented followed by a brief description about the importance of photo anode in DSSC. Subsequently a complete review on SnO 2 and hybrid SnO 2 photo anode materials will be explained together with the recent year reports considering all the challenges and perspectives related to DSSC.
We report the fabrication and testing of dye sensitized solar cells (DSSC) based on tin oxide (SnO 2) particles of average size ~20 nm. Fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) conducting glass substrates were treated with TiO x or TiCl 4 precursor solutions to create a blocking layer before tape casting the SnO 2 mesoporous anode. In addition, SnO 2 photoelectrodes were treated with the same precursor solutions to deposit a TiO 2 passivating layer covering the SnO 2 particles. We found that the modification enhances the short circuit current, open-circuit voltage and fill factor, leading to nearly 2-fold increase in power conversion efficiency, from 1.48% without any treatment, to 2.85% achieved with TiCl 4 treatment. The superior photovoltaic performance of the DSSCs assembled with modified photoanode is attributed to enhanced electron lifetime and suppression of electron recombination to the electrolyte, as confirmed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) carried out under dark condition. These results indicate that modification of the FTO and SnO 2 anode by titania can play a major role in maximizing the photo conversion efficiency.
Nucleation and Atmospheric Aerosols, 2019
Dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) have fascinated researchers across the globe since their inception in 1991, due to their easy preparation protocols compared to the conventional silicon solar cells and eco-friendly nature. Most of the time best choice of metal oxide semiconductor is TiO 2 because of its high electron injection rate. But on the other hand, wide band gap semiconductor such as ZnO has higher stability and electron mobility. We anticipated that combination of these two should help us to get the better devices. In this study, working electrode modification was done by using hybrid metal oxides as in the fabrication of DSSC to increase the efficiency of the device. ZnO nanoparticles were synthesized by sol-gel process. The morphology, porosity and grain size of the ZnO was studied by SEM analysis. The Particle size was further confirmed by XRD analysis. Bulk and nano TiO 2 were blended individually with nano ZnO and their photo voltaic parameters were examined. Used combinations were (i) TiO 2-n (ii) TiO 2-b (iii) ZnO-n (iv) TiO 2-n: TiO 2-b in 1:1 ratio (v) ZnO-n: TiO 2-n in 1:1 ratio (vi) ZnO-n:TiO2-b in 1:1 ratio respectively along with N719 dye. After assembling the electrodes, the current density-voltage characteristics of each of the combinations were evaluated. It was found that among all the combinations TiO 2 nano and bulk composition in the proportion 1:1 is showing the optimum efficiency than the other compositions.
A Comparative Study on Optoelectronic Properties of Dye-sensitized Solar Cells using TiO 2 -ZnO Photo anodes, 2024
In present study, dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) are fabricated using bare TiO 2, ZnO and TiO 2-ZnO nanocomposite via doctor's blade method with N719 sensitizer and platinum-free carbon deposited counter electrode. The ensued TiO 2-ZnO (1:1) composite films of photoanodes are characterized with UV-Vis Spectroscopy to investigate the band gaps of bare TiO 2 , ZnO and their composite, in the range of 3.21-3.31 eV. SEM studies are performed to analyze the surface morphology wherein the TiO 2-ZnO composite photoelectrode, displayed additional prominent porosities than the bare TiO 2 /ZnO. The photo conversion efficiency of the cells based on TiO 2 , ZnO and their composite were observed as 1.08%, 0.98%, and 1.49%, respectively, which is higher for composite due to low series resistance, high optical absorption, high recombination resistance and longer lifetime as evaluated by impedance analysis. This strategy of using TiO 2-ZnO nanocomposite photoanode could pave the way for performance improvement in a cost-effective manner for DSSCs.
Tin oxide as a photoanode for dye-sensitised solar cells: Current progress and future challenges
Tin oxide (SnO2) is a candidate for applications requiring high electrical conductivity and optical transparency, such as a photoanode in dye-sensitised solar cells (DSSCs), due to its higher electron mobility and wider optical transparency than many other metal oxide semiconductors (MOS), such as TiO2 and ZnO. However, DSSCs employing SnO2 show significantly lower photoconversion efficiency, compared to that achieved by popular choices, such as TiO2, due to its intrinsic limitations such as lower conduction band energy and isoelectric point. A survey of literature shows a revived interest in SnO2- based DSSCs, for example, strategies to (i) increase the dye uptake, (ii) increase its Fermi energy level, and (iii) reduce the recombination, such as by increasing surface roughness and novel morphologies towards (i), and doping of transition metals for (ii) and (iii). In response to these improvements, SnO2-based DSSCs showed similar open circuit voltage and superior short circuit current to that achieved by TiO2. We have undertaken a critical review on the progress made in overcoming the limitations and capitalising the advantages of SnO2 to fabricate more efficient DSSCs.We identify that more investment is required to reduce the recombination in SnO2 for it to emerge as an efficiency record holder in DSSCs
Stability of the SnO2/MgO dye-sensitized photoelectrochemical solar cell
Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 2007
Dye-sensitized solar cells made of TiO 2 are extensively studied as a cheap alternative to conventional photovoltaic cells. The other familiar stable oxide material of similar band gap suitable for dye sensitization is SnO 2 . Although cells based only of SnO 2 are prone to severe recombination losses, the cells made of SnO 2 /MgO films where the SnO 2 crystallite is surface covered with an ultra-thin shell of MgO, deliver reasonably high efficiencies. It is found that SnO 2 /MgO cells resist dye and electrolyte degradation better than TiO 2 cells. Furthermore, the ultra-thin barrier of MgO on SnO 2 remains intact during prolonged usage or storage of the cell. r
Journal of Emerging Supply Chain, Clean Energy, and Process Engineering
Photoanode is a component of the dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSCc) which is synthesized from metal oxide semiconductor material with nanoparticle size deposited on transparent conductive glass. TiO2 powder was synthesized by mixing 20 mL of Titanium (III) chloride (TiCl3) with 100 mL of the equator and stirred for 1 hour. TiO2-SnO2 thin films have been successfully synthesized using the coprecipitation method and coated on ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) substrate by doctor-blade technique. The structure and morphology of the films were investigated by XRD and SEM respectively. The analysis of optical characteristics shows that the absorbance of TiO2 photoanode is in the wavelength range of 300-600 nm while SnO2 is in the wavelength range of 300-870 nm. The results showed that the synthesized film with SnO2 had a stronger anatase formation than the film with pure TiO2. Finally, incorporating SnO2 into the TiO2 matrix is an effective strategy to improve the overall properties of solar cells i...
Tin oxide as a photoanode for dye-sensitized solar cells: current progress and future challenges
Tin oxide (SnO2) is a candidate for applications requiring high electrical conductivity and optical transparency such as photoanode in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) due to its high electron mobility and wider optical transparency than many other metal oxide semiconductors (MOS). However, DSCs employing SnO2 show significantly lower photoconversion efficiency, due to its intrinsic limitation such as lower conduction band energy and iso electric point, compared to that achieved by popular choices such as TiO2. A survey of literature shows a revived interest in SnO2 based DSCs recently, for example, strategies to (i) increase the dye uptake, (ii) increase its Fermi energy level, and (iii) reduce the recombination such as increasing surface roughness and novel morphologies towards (i), and doping of transition metals for (ii) and (iii). In response to these investments, SnO2 based DSCs showed similar VOC and superior current than that achieved by TiO2. We have undertaken a critical review on the progress made in overcoming its limitations and capitalizing its advantages to fabricate more efficient DSCs and observe that more investment is required to reduce the recombination in SnO2 for it to be emerged as an efficiency record holder in DSCs.
Chemical Physics Letters, 2002
Anodic photocurrent loss processes have been investigated for dye sensitized nanocrystalline SnO 2 and TiO 2 solar cells by means of electrical bias dependent photocurrent spectroscopy. Electron injection efficiency is not dependent on visible excitation wavelengths under electrical bias application for both films. Under an identical cell configuration, the unsensitised SnO 2 film exhibited cathodic photocurrent generation while no cathodic photocurrent was detected for the TiO 2 film. The origins of these observations are discussed. The experimental results suggest that the electron transfer reaction from the SnO 2 to the electrolyte must be accelerated at the SnO 2 surface by the bias application.